Ibuki Maikagura didn't respond to Leap of Faith's words. Instead, she looked her up and down a few times, then suddenly put on a surprised expression.
"Ahh, so it's you, Miss Leap. Platinum mentioned you to me yesterday in the lounge."
"That Platinum, really… Hehe, she even made a point to chat with me before the race."
Ibuki Maikagura's lips curled into a faint smile, and she raised a hand to cover her lightly laughing mouth.
"And then she went and won so brilliantly in the end… There's nothing I can really say about it. I can only take this chance today to properly wish her well."
Leap of Faith's expression didn't change, but behind her back, her fingers were tightly clenched.
She knew exactly what Ibuki Maikagura was doing—making a veiled dig at her. You're just support staff—you'd have to walk to another building just to see Platinum, while I'm her classmate now. I get to see her every single day, in every single class!
If you want to pull rank, aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself?
"Hehe… quite the sharp tongue," Leap of Faith said, a smile spreading across her face.
"Right back at you…" Ibuki Maikagura sneered relentlessly.
The two of them were like samurai in a duel, slowly circling a central point, drawing blades only to be parried, then repeating the same motions again.
Hold your breath, focus your spirit—draw the sword once more!
Both Leap of Faith and Ibuki Maikagura parted their lips at the same time, ready to let fly with their next cutting remarks.
Just then, the school building's main door swung open again.
Almost instinctively, and out of sheer guilt, Ibuki Maikagura immediately ducked behind the shoe lockers, completely forgetting about maintaining her composure.
…Wait, why am I hiding? It was only after the fact that Ibuki Maikagura realized—Leap of Faith had somehow ended up hiding right beside her. The two of them were now squatting together behind the shoe lockers.
"You—" Ibuki Maikagura started to say something, but Leap of Faith quickly covered her mouth and pointed outside.
Ibuki Maikagura peeked out and saw a plain white figure ambling leisurely toward the shoe lockers.
That languid demeanor—who else could it be but Platinum?
Ibuki Maikagura panicked. She turned back and hissed at Leap of Faith in a low voice, "Look what you've done!"
"Now neither of us can give ours to her!"
Leap of Faith simply chuckled, sweeping a mocking gaze over Ibuki Maikagura, looking utterly unruffled.
"What's the rush? Are you really worried the chocolate won't get to her?"
"You—"
Platinum stood in front of the shoe locker, pulled the door open, paused for a moment, then let out a disappointed sigh.
"I really thought what happens in anime might be true… So it's not real after all—the whole 'leaving chocolate in a shoe locker on White Day' thing…"
No, no, it is real! It's just that some cockroach snatched it away first!
Ibuki Maikagura felt her heart break listening to this. Her eyes nearly bulged with frustration as she glared daggers at Leap of Faith.
Leap of Faith remained completely calm, the smile on her face even widening. She even looked at Ibuki Maikagura with a hint of pity.
"Hehe… Let big sister teach you a lesson."
With that, Leap of Faith strode out directly. Ibuki Maikagura hurriedly tried to pull her back, but Leap of Faith was surprisingly strong! She couldn't hold her back at all.
In the end, just as Ibuki Maikagura was about to be dragged out from behind the lockers along with her, she had no choice but to let go and shrink back into hiding.
Leap of Faith smoothed out the wrinkles Ibuki Maikagura had left on her skirt and walked out gracefully.
"Platinum, good morning."
Seeing Leap of Faith suddenly pop out, Platinum quickly shut her shoe locker and stammered, "Faith, you're here."
Oh no, did she hear what I just said?
That's so embarrassing!
Platinum broke out in a cold sweat under Leap of Faith's gaze, especially since she kept wearing that mysterious smile while looking at her, making her feel as if her secret had been discovered.
"…What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Platinum couldn't help but mutter.
Leap of Faith maintained that enigmatic smile and suddenly brought her hands from behind her back to the front.
"Ta-da! The chocolate you wanted!"
In her hands was the heart-shaped chocolate she had prepared.
"…You're kidding." Staring at the chocolate in Leap of Faith's hands, Platinum stammered, her words becoming almost incoherent.
On one hand, she was embarrassed that she'd clearly heard her earlier remarks. On the other, she was flustered that she was actually giving her chocolate.
You son of a—! Behind the shoe lockers, Ibuki Maikagura's eyes nearly popped out of her head, but she didn't have the confidence to jump out now.
As everyone knows, you can't interrupt when characters are in a "CG scene"—and Leap of Faith and Platinum were definitely in one now.
And… Platinum really did seem awfully familiar with that Leap of Faith girl.
Huh? Wait, I've been in the same class as Platinum all semester. Who are you?
After another glance at the uniform Leap of Faith was wearing, Ibuki Maikagura understood.
This despicable little… She's definitely using her position as a support Uma Musume to force her way closer to Platinum and take advantage of her!
That kind of thing… You bastard, you can't do that!
Leap of Faith glanced subtly behind her and chuckled inwardly.
You're still too green to compete with me. Try again in your next life.
Seizing the romantic atmosphere, Leap of Faith pressed her advantage: "Actually, I was planning to put it in your shoe locker… I just didn't expect you to come so early."
"This chocolate… I made it myself. I specially asked my sister to mail Venezuelan cocoa beans from Hong Kong, and I tried grinding and filtering them myself… It might be a bit bitter, and the taste might not be that great. I hope you don't mind."
Leap of Faith's little trick for romance: Always verbalize your efforts—especially when dealing with a blockhead. It's not about boasting about how much you've done; if it's for someone you truly care about, no amount of effort is too much. The goal is—to let them know just how much they mean to you.
Some blockheads, you see, really won't get it unless you spell it out for them.
"This is… too much." Platinum took the chocolate from Leap of Faith's hands, gently rubbing it as her expression grew complicated.
This is too much! Are you bragging? Ibuki Maikagura thought the same. By comparison, she was starting to feel less confident about the chocolate she had brought.
Ibuki Maikagura, stay calm! Isn't yours handmade too? There's nothing wrong with standing on the shoulders of giants! Ibuki Maikagura screamed internally.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.